I cannot believe it’s November first and October is now a memory! I made some wonderful memories in October, and I know I’ll make plenty more in November – but before we kick it off, let’s look back at what I’m loving lately – for October!
Eating & Drinking – What a month of celebrations! It all started with my birthday and my Mom outdid herself with the amazing peanut butter and chocolate cake she made! It was to die for … and also incredibly rich, ha-ha! We celebrated my birthday with dinner at Regions 117 and then Ryan and I spent a weekend in Alexandria and had a delicious meal at Gatsby’s Tavern, where I had my favorite: peanut soup and some cider and we had some amazing coffee from a shop in Alexandria!
The back half of the month was filled with celebrations: we helped harvest wine grapes at the Mancini’s and we were fed well! I had two wedding showers, and both had incredible treats: soup and stellar cupcakes and cookies from local bakery Garcia and Gavino and the second shower had delicious chicken, a charcuterie board and amazing cupcakes and little lingerie cookies! It was a month of good eats!
Reading – While I hit my goal of twenty-five books for the year in September, my reading slowed significantly in the month of October! I only read two books: Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney and Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese. Daisy Darker was a thriller-esque type book combined with a whodunit and while the book was enjoyable, the pacing seemed a little slow and it never blew me away! All of the Book of the Month choices for October were “spirited” in some way and I chose Hester…
The book was a unique take on the writer of The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne! Apparently aspects of the story were true to history, and I did enjoy the read – even if it also seemed a little slow in places. My reading pace always tends to ebb and flow and right now, we are definitely in an ebb – no worries though! I did start the book The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan, but I’ve barely made a dent in it so far.
Watching – The two shows that have been taking up most of my watching time are House of the Dragon and The Rings of Power! I finished House of the Dragon and thought the first season was a stellar start to what looks to be a really promising series! I am 100% Team Black – and I know you are clueless as to what that means if you haven’t watched the show, ha-ha! Ryan and I are trying to finish up The Rings of Power; we have two episodes left, so we are almost there! I know reviews have been mixed but I myself am really enjoying the show and look forward to future seasons!
I’ve also been loving the sixth season of Somebody Feed Phil! This show is such a delight, and I am so glad I discovered it some years back! Phil Rosenthal’s outlook on life, sunshine attitude, and ability to communicate with people no matter the different lifestyles and backgrounds makes for a heartwarming hour of television! While I don’t know if I’d eat everything he takes a bite out of … I always enjoy watching him learn and share with the communities he’s in!
Loving – I am
loving the colors of Autumn! The Northern Virginia area had a much damper Spring
and Summer, which means the Autumn has been so much more colorful! I haven’t
managed to take too many pictures of the glorious colors, but I did share a
couple below and I have to say, I do love that absolutely wonderful golden hue!
I’m hoping and praying (more praying than anything else) that some of the stunning color will stick around and be a perfect natural background for our wedding in just eleven short days! And yes, that’s our rose bush – which is apparently completely unbothered by the recent chilly weather and is blooming right on through the Autumn temps!
Wanting – Here’s where I am completely cliché and
say that I’m wanting that perfect wedding day weather, ha! Right now, the
forecast for the 12th is abundant sunshine and a temperature of 60,
which would be perfect! The weather in the Autumn can be all over the place, so
who knows if and how much that could change between now and then! Regardless,
at the end of the day I get to marry Ryan – so the weather doesn’t really matter.
But it sure would be nice if it was the perfect Autumn day, would it?
Quoting – “To be fully seen by somebody, then, and be loved anyhow – this is a human offering that can border on miraculous.” - Elizabeth Gilbert
There is a lot to look forward to this month but October was a stellar one!
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